There is nothing more upsetting for a PC user than when there is a problem with their machine. This upset can turn quickly to frustration when the problem seems to be impossible to solve, or even to understand. Every PC user has experienced these feelings, but it is in most cases possible to both diagnose and correct most problems with the typical PC. And with some help, you can usually do it yourself.

The most important resource you can have at your disposal when you are trying to troubleshoot a problem with your PC is: experience. Those who have done a lot of work diagnosing and correcting problems with a wide variety of PCs develop a knack for recognizing problem situations that they have seen before. They also learn (and invent) techniques that make it possible for them to get to the root of a problem quickly.

There's no substitute for experience, but I'm hoping that this Guide will be the next best thing. I have accumulated here the experience of myself and many other knowledgeable PC users, upgraders and maintainers, to help you learn how to detect and correct many common problems that plague PC users. This includes both general rules of thumb regarding how to troubleshoot your PC, as well as information on dealing with vendor warranties, and repairing your machine.

The heart of this Guide is The Troubleshooting Expert, an expert system database of questions and answers that will help you to quickly find a solution to the most common problems with PCs. Over time I will continue to add to and expand this Expert so that it becomes an increasingly more and more useful tool for tackling the woes that plague the computer user.

Tip: You may be able to get assistance with many PC problems by using The PC Guide Discussion Forums